Welcome Back To Our Lives
by KingdomKeeper1121
Summary: Sequal to "Welcome To Our Lives" The OTs are at it again and are bigger, stronger, and more powerful than ever before. Will the finally defeat the Kingdom Keepers once and for all? Let's find out.
1. Prologue

**THAT'S RIGHT GUYS! I'M BACK! And boy do I have a story for you! And by story, I mean what you're about to read. I only ask you all ****_one small thing that would make_****_me really really really _****really ****_happy_****. **

**COULD YOU ALL EASE REVIEW? THANK YOU SO MUCH! **

**Welcome Back To Our Lives**

"Maleficent," Sally Ringwald said walking into the bone-chilling room, "I just got word that they're coming."

"That _who _is coming?"

"The Keepers. And they have the old man with them."

"I see. Yes...and who exactly told you this?" She turned away from the monitors displaying various areas around the park, including inside stores and just outside the gates.

"Mother Gothel...who heard it from Hans...who was told by Frollo."

"Right, so," Maleficent started walking slowly towards Sally, "you've chosen to believe three of the most idiotic people."

"I don't understand."

"What was that? I didn't hear you."

"I said yes ma'am. I did."

"Well..lucky for you, this time those fools were right."

"I believe it only because you said it."

"Now," Maleficent turned around to face the monitors again, "come here, dearie." Sally obliged. "Look right there." She pointed to a monitor to the bottom right. "Do you see that?"

Sally leaned in slightly to get a better look. "The Keepers."

"Correct. And they're with their parents."

"And the old man and his daughter."

"Very good, Sally."

"What shall I do? Gather everyone together an send them off?"

"Not just yet. Let's let them think that they have a chance."

"But when the time is right?"

Maleficent turned her head in Sally's direction. "When the time is right, my dear, then you find each and every villain, small world doll, and pirate. Send them, armed and armored, towards those kids and tell them not to stop until each and every one of them is dead. Make them suffer. _I want to be able to see the pain on their faces! Make them beg for mercy! Show them just how ruthless the Overtakers can be_!" By now, Maleficent was yelling and her arms were extended, her hands balled into fists.

"Do whatever it takes then?"

She lowered her voice. "I want to see the Kingdom Keepers destroyed _once and for all_."

"As you wish." And with that Sally was gone leaving Maleficent alone. Once the door closed, she let an Evelin cackle escape her mouth.

The Keepers were in for some surprise in the very near, very soon future.

**I know it's not really that long, but I ****_will_**** have an actual chapter up soon. This was kind of just...a prologue. It'll pick up right after the Keepers, Wayne and Wanda, their parents, and David set off from the wedding party to go to Magic Kingdom. Sound good? Okay. Love you all **

**~KingdomKeeper1121~**


	2. Splitting Up

The Keepers all headed to the Magic Kingdom via their parents cars. They arrived at precisely the same time and, after they changed into all black clothes they had stashed in a nearby Cast Member office, huddled together in a group to discuss their plan one last time.

"Okay, so Philby, you, Willa, and David are heading to security to shut off cameras and alarms." Finn said.

"Yes." Philby responded.

"And you know where that is?" Philby nodded.

"Maybeck—"

"Yeah, yeah we know. Me and Char need to go find the Fob and bring it back to the apartment."

"AND hide it so the OTs won't be able to get their hands on it." Charlene glanced at Maybeck as she said this.

"Yeah...that too."

"Wayne, you said you needed me, Amanda, Jess, and Dillard to go with you and Wanda?"

The white haired man nodded. "Yes."

"So we all know what to do then?" Nods from everyone.

"Finn, honey, what about us?" Finn's mom asked indicating everyone's parents.

"Right...um, okay." He paused to think; he was in his zone. His leader zone. "Parents, you all can be our spies. Just walk around and try to find anything out of the ordinary. Construct a diversion if you have to."

"We should communicate with phones." Willa said.

"Good idea," Jess said, "but you're going to have to leave us out. The Utilidors don't have service."

"But we'll be fine." Amanda reassured, noticing the parents' concerned faces. "We're with Wayne and mom."

"Okay we got this." Maybeck said hoping on each foot, side-to-side, and rubbing his hands together. "C'mon, Charlie! Let's go!" He grabbed her hand, and they were gone.

Philby pulled out his phone and started typing in numbers. He muttered quietly to himself as an abundance of colors danced across the screen. He smiled contently at himself and showed Willa. "You did it?" All he did was nod. "You did it! He did it!" She took his phone and shoved it in Finn's hands.

"What is this?" He asked.

"Nerd heaven is what it looks like." Jess said looking over his shoulder at the screen that was covered in codes and words.

"He hacked into security." Wanda said astonished.

"On his _phone_?" Willa and Philby nodded. "I applaud you, Mr. Philby."

"Alright, let's go." David said and the three set off.

Finn and the girls were were about to set off when Finn's mom put a hand on his shoulder. She hugged him and whispered in his ear, "Be safe and take care of Amanda. I like her a lot, Finn. Don't let her go."

"I promise mom. I love you. Stay hidden and stay with someone at all times. I don't want to lose you again." His mom nodded.

...

"In here. Quick, quick." Wayne ushered the kids and Wanda into the door marked "Cast Members Only".

"Which way?" Amanda asked. The six were standing in a hallway that extended in all four directions.

"Not that way," Wayne said pointing to the hall behind them, "because that's the way we came."

"Not straight ahead either," Wanda said, "because those are just offices."

"If I remember correctly," Jess said, "the Professor once said that, anywhere in Disney, where you're in a situation where there's a hall extending to both the left and the right, they usually meet up at a certain point or exit out into the same general area."

"So what are you suggesting?" Dillard asked.

"I'm just saying that if we split up into groups of three that we cod each take a side and see if we find anything."

"And then meet up on the other side." Amanda said.

Jess smiled at her sister. "Exactly."

"How about we go Amanda, Dillard, and myself to the left and Wanda, Finn, and Jessica to the right." Wayne said.

Wanda looked to Finn and Jess. "Sounds good."

"You good with it?" Dillard asked Amanda who nodded.

"Amanda," Wanda pulled her aside before they set off, "stay sharp. Use your powers when you need to. Keep yourself and them two safe. I don't want to lose you."

"I will, mom, don't worry." Amanda gave Wanda a huge hug, but didn't let go for a while.

"Amanda, sweetie, what's wrong?"

"I just became part of a family again, and I don't want to lose it."

"You're not, Mandy." It was Jess. "We're all safe under here. The only people we'll most likely run into Are Cast Members. And if we run into some OTs, then you kick their butts."

"What if I can't?"

"Amanda," Jess put her hand on the back of Amanda's head, "you survived Jeannie for, like, ten years. I'm pretty sure you can handle some mechanical pirates or Small World dolls."

"Don't forget to smile at the dolls!" Finn called to them.

Amanda laughed. "I won't forget, Finn."

"You got this, Amanda." Jess said.

Amanda hugged her sister. "Be careful, kiddo. And take care if Finn for me." Jess smiled and walked off with Wanda and Finn.

**...**

Philby's fingers flew across the keyboard while images flashed across the screens and the monitors flickered on and off at random. He was decoding every security breach there was and hacking into every ride, camera, and light source there was throughout the Magic Kingdom. He was starting to sweat. The room was next to on fire it was so hot.

"Is there any source of cool air in here?" He asked not taking his attention away from his work.

"I don't know." Willa said looking around. "I would hope so."

"There has to be." David said walking around. "Computers can be ruined if not kept at proper temperature." He walked around the entire room but found no thermostat. "There's not one anywhere."

Philby took his attention from the computers and turned around for the first time in a while. "What? That can't be. There has to be one." He turned back around and started typing again. Nothing happened. "It's frozen." He said in frustration. He tried again, and every screen went black. He slammed his fists on the keyboard multiple times. The lights flickered and went out. It was quiet. Then an ear-piercing alarm started sounding throughout the room as red lights flashed giving the room an ominous red glow.

He continued to bang on the keyboards and was now screaming orders that couldn't be carried out. Willa, out of fear, ran up to Philby and grabbed his shoulders. "Philby, calm down!" She shouted over the alarm. He continued to scream. "Philby!" She pulled him away and the two fell over.

David rushed over to them and helped them up. "This isn't good."

"We need to get out of here." Philby said.

Willa ran over to the door and tried opening it, but it was locked. "The...the door's locked!"

David ran up behind her and examined the door closely. "We've been trapped."

"Uh, guys?" Philby called to them. "I think we've got a bigger problem."

Willa and David ran to where Philby was standing and froze in their tracks. "Oh, crap." They both said at the same time.

The computers were starting to catch on fire.

"Hades is upon us." Philby said.

The fire was blue.

...

"I got it, Maybeck!" Charlene yelled holding up the fob. She was standing in a bush behind Cinderella Castle.

"You found it?"

"Yeah!" She ran to Maybeck and handed him the small, black box.

"Nice job, Char!" They high-fived.

"So we just need to make it to the apartment unseen and safe."

"Come on then." Maybeck grabbed her hand and they stuck to the shadows as they made their way down Main Street.

There was the sound of heavy footsteps behind the couple and before he knew it, Charlene's hand was no longer connected with Maybeck's. Her scream echoed throughout the empty park as she was thrown to the ground onto the other side of the street and knocked unconscious.

"Charlie!"

Charlene lay unmoving on the concrete. Maybeck pocketed the fob and prepared himself to fight whoever was there. He turned around and threw a punch. He hit—nothing? "What?" He was confused. "Who's there?" He slowly turned in a circle and found no one was around. He forgot it all and ran to Charlene. "Charlie?" He whispered. When she didn't move, he picked her up and started running as best he could towards the apartment.

He kicked the door in and shut it with his foot. He took the steps three at a time and reached the living room in a matter of seconds. He laid Charlene down on the couch and sat next to her. He took her hand and held it tightly. Five minutes past and he stood, kissing Charlene's forehead, and walked to Wayne's room. He opened the closet and found a small box that was the perfect size and placed the fob in it. He then found an old duffle bag and put the box inside and zipped it shut. He placed the duffle under the bed, right in the middle. He walked out of the room and walked back into the living room where he found Charlene conscious and sitting up.

"Did you hide it?" She asked.

He nodded. "Yeah." She stood and walked over to him. He noticed she was limping slightly. "Are you hurt?"

"My ankle just hurts. It's nothing." She hugged him tightly. "But I can't deal. Let's go find the others." He nodded and wrapped an arm around her waist to help her walk. They reached the door and Maybeck reached for the handle. He turned it, but it didn't move. He tried again, but got the same result.

The door was locked from the outside.

They were trapped.

**...**

"Check that room, Finn." Wanda said.

"Got it." Finn opened the door to a cast room that was empty save for a few chairs and a small table in the middle of the room. "It's empty." He reported walking in to make sure. Jess joined him shortly and soon Wanda was with the two. Suddenly the door slammed shut and locked. The three turned around quickly, their eyes wide with fear.

Jess ran up to the door and started banging her fists on the window in the middle of the metal door. Nothing was happening, so she backed up, turned sideways, brought her hands up to her chest as she made fists, and placed her feet shoulders width apart. She looked like a pitcher about to throw the final ball of a game. It all happened so fast; Jess screamed, and kicked the widow using some type of karate move.

The window didn't so much as crack. The only thing that changed was that, now, there was the mark of a Converse shoe on it. "Amanda was right, those karate classes were a waist of time." Jess said from the floor.

Finn walked up to the window and tapped it. "It's not you, Jess. It's the glass. This stuff could survive a nuclear explosion and still not even have a dent in it."

"So we're trapped with no possible way out then..." Jess groaned.

"Well, this is great." Wanda said sarcastically. Finn banged his head repeatedly on the wall.

**...**

**So...a lot happening! Here's a quick recap:**

**David, Willa, and Philby are trapped in the control room which is apparently on fire...**

**Charlene and Maybeck are trapped in the apartment but the fob is safely hidden inside a box that was placed in a duffle bag which was then placed under Wayne's bed. **

**Finn, Jess, and Wanda are now trapped in a room in the Utilidor and can't get out. **

**Dillard, Amanda, and Wayne what will happen to them? Find out first thing next chapter!**


	3. Something's Happened

**_Something's Wrong_**

As they walked, Amanda couldn't help but feel a sense of panic inside her body. She didn't know why exactly she had this feeling, but she did know that she didn't like it. She was worried about her friends―Willa, Philby, Maybeck, Charlene. She was worried about Finn, too, of course. But she was worried the most about Jess. She had been acting a little strange lately and all Amanda could think was that her sister was hiding something from her; not telling her something important. Her head was clouded with these thoughts and more. She was distracted more than usual and it was making it hard to concentrate which was very bad. What if they encountered an OT and she had to _push_? Suddenly, she felt very faint and uneasy; like she was going to pass out any minute. She stopped walking and leaned against the brick wall of the Utilidor. She closed her eyes and tried not to throw up. The world was spinning when she opened her eyes again and she fell to the ground. She wouldn't be surprised if Dillard and Wayne never noticed that she wasn't with them. She was behind them already as it was. Amanda forced herself into a sitting position and placed her head between her knees as she brought them up to her chest.

She was hearing voices now. _Amanda!_―she heard―_Amanda are you okay?!_ She felt arms wrap around her abdomen and realized that the voices weren't in her head but, in fact, the panicked cries of Dillard Cole. Amanda was on her feet in seconds and darting down the hallway, opposite the direction they were going. She soon heard two sets of footsteps following her shortly after and she turned to see that Dillard and Wayne were quickly catching up to her. Wow, she thought. For an old guy, Wayne sure can run. She kept her steady pace as she rounded a corner that led the three to the spot where they split up.

"Amanda…" Wayne said winded. "Amanda, what is it?"

"Finn and mom a-and Jess…"

"What about them?"

"Th-they're in trouble."

"How do you know?" Dillard asked.

"I can feel it. Don't ask questions. I don't know how I know, but I just do."

"Let's go find them and make sure nothing happens to them." Dillard's voice was dripping with anxiety and Amanda grabbed his hand.

"We'll find her, Dillard. Even if it's the last thing I do."

**…**

"Try the window!" Charlene yelled; the banging was getting louder and suddenly there was singing.

_There is just one moon and one golden sun, and a smile means friendship to everyone!_

"Char! They're climbing up the side!"

Charlene gasped. "The fob! They want the fob!" All at once the lights went out, the banging stopped, and the singing ceased. Suddenly there was a green flash of light and, in all of his voodoo glory, the Shadow Man stood facing the two, an old walking stick heled tightly in his right hand.

"Very nice little girl. Y'all must know exactly what I'm here for then."

"You're not getting the fob!" Maybeck yelled jumping on Dr. Facilier's back. Facilier snapped his fingers and two shadows had Maybeck pinned against the wall in a second.

"Maybeck!" Charlene yelled as a strangled cry escaped Maybeck's mouth. "Stop, stop! Don't hurt him! Please!"

Dr. Facilier looked from Maybeck to Charlene and back to Maybeck again. He laughed a deep, dark laugh and snapped his fingers again and the shadows let Maybeck go and turned towards Facilier. "Keep him close by boys. He's a tough one." The shadows stood erect and at attention. "Now…" He walked closer to Charlene and stepped behind her. "You see him?" Charlene nodded because that's all she could do. "You refuse to give me the return, he goes bye-bye." He stroked the back of Charlene's head and laughed quietly.

"Get away from me. Get away from him." She took a step forward and turned to face Dr. Facilier. He moved so he was behind her again, but she was too quick for him. She elbowed him in the rib cage and yanked the Talisman from around his neck. She threw it on the ground and smashed it with her foot. She then kicked the walking stick from his hand and caught it mid-air. She wacked him across the side of his head, leaving him unconscious. She hit him repeatedly until she saw blood. He hurt Maybeck, she hurt him. That's just how it goes. She heard pained cried of panic from behind her. "Maybeck?!"

"I'm a bit busy here Char!" She spun around and saw the shadows attacking Maybeck from both sides; he was trapped. Charlene closed her eyes and thought hard.

"Your phone! Use your phone!"

"What?!"

"Your phone Maybeck!"

"_What_?!"

"Your phone―oh what_ever_!" She took her phone out and turned the flashlight on. She pointed it at the shadows and they retreated back to their master. "Sorry boys, he's no longer part of our wonderful Disney family." They made some sort of inhuman sound and went out the window.

"You…you killed him?" Maybeck said breathlessly pointing to the still body of the Voodoo Master. She nodded. "Char…" She ran up to him and kissed him. Just like that. She was so scared and confused that that's the only thing her mind allowed her to do. Maybeck wasted no time before he kissed her back. Tears started forming in Maybeck's eyes as he held her close. "I thought he was going to get you for good...I was scared. I tried to help but I couldn't. Charlie I'm sorry."

"Hey, Maybeck, I don't care. He's dead and we're safe. You're safe."

He kissed her again. "Is this...is this _your_ blood?" He asked wiping the red substance from her forehead.

"I'm not sure. He got me with a knife or something but I wasn't paying attention."

He smiled and laughed a little. "Yeah, you were too busy beating him senseless with his stick." His face got serious. "Wait, you said he had a knife?"

"Something like that. I can't be too sure." She walked over to the body as searched him. She discovered that there was in fact a knife inside a hidden jacket pocket. There was blood on it, which they both assumed was Charlene's.

She went to the bathroom to wash her face off. After she got the majority of it off, she looked at herself in the mirror. She stared and judged. She hated herself. She hated the way she looked, the way she smiled, talked, walked. Everything. What did a guy like Maybeck see in her? She wasn't good enough for him. He deserves better than her.

"Char?" Maybeck's voice came from the other side of the door followed by a few quick knocks. "Char are you okay?" She grabbed the door knob as she wiped away what tears had fallen from her eyes. "Char? What's wrong?" She lost it right there. She cried and fell into his arms. He hugged her tightly and kissed the top of her head. "Hey, what's wrong?"

She looked up at him. "Why are you still with me?" She whispered.

"Why am I...Charlene, I love you. I don't plan on leaving you anytime soon. Or ever." Maybeck leaned in and whispered right before their lips met, "You're perfect." She closed her eyes, and so did he. The proximity between them was slowly diminishing as they both leaned in slowly. When their lips were mere centimeters apart, the door to the apartment flew open and in came a sweaty David, a terrified Willa, and a bloody Philby.

"The Overtakers..." Philby said. "They're..." He stopped and coughed. "They're coming. Here." His voice was scratchy. He seemed dazed. He started falling over but Willa caught him before he hit the ground.

It was then that David saw the body of Dr. Facilier on the floor face down. "Something tells me they already came."

Maybeck nodded. "They did."

"And they struck hard." Charlene said grabbing Maybeck's hand.

**…**

Jess banged on the door and shouted repeatedly. "Jess, sweetie, give it a rest. You've been at it for the past half hour. There's nobody down here who can hear you." Wanda said worried.

"I can't…I need…why can't…" Jess couldn't form the words. She was shaking and breathing heavily.

Finn walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. "It's okay. It'll be okay. Calm down. Shh you're fine. We'll be fine." He whispered in her ear. He sat down on the floor and pulled her into his lap. She basically crumbled into him; she was having a nervous breakdown so Finn did what Amanda told him to do in case this ever happened when she wasn't around. He kissed the top of her head as he smoothed her hair back.

"F-Finn…" She whimpered.

"What's wrong Jess? Are you okay?"

Jess shook her head, then nodded, then shook her head again. "I…I need to tell you something…"

"You can tell me anything."

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "I had a vision." Finn nodded telling her to go on. "It was about me. I was in a small, dark room with a boy. There was someone else in the room but it was too blurry to see who it was or if it was a man or a woman."

"Did anything, like, happen?"

"The boy and I…kissed." She moved off Finn's lap and sat on the floor next to him.

"Okay? What's so wrong with that, sweetie?" Wanda asked.

"Nothing except…" Jess stood up suddenly struck with realization. "Except…" She looked around. "A…a small, dark room…a boy…an unidentified third party which is…" She gaped. "Mom…"

Finn stood up. "Jess, was that boy in your vision…_me_?"

She nodded. "Yes…"

"Well what do we do then?"

"You two have to kiss." Wanda said. The two teens looked at her shocked.

"What?" Jess said.

"You two have to kiss." She repeated. "If Jess saw it, it has to happen."

Finn looked at Jess. "She's right." She said to him. "We have to. Amanda and Dillard will understand, I'm sure." Finn nodded. "So do we just…do it now?"

"If it was in a room like this, I would think so."

"Okay…" Finn stepped closer to Jess as she stepped closer to him. They leaned in and closed their eyes as their lips became closer and closer…

_Boom!_

The sound of a metal door smashing against a cement wall rang in the ears of everyone nearby. Amanda ran in and hugged Jess immediately. Jess suddenly felt terrible for not telling Amanda about her vision of her and Finn kissing. She started to wrap her arms around Amanda as tears made their way down her cheeks. She's never kept anything from Amanda before and now that she's experienced what it feels like, she never wants to do it again.

"Amanda…I'm sorry. I didn't want to keep it from you but I was just—"

"You were just trying to protect me. I know." Jess tightened her grip around Amanda and laughed a little. "What?"

"You came just in time."

"For what?"

"We didn't kiss. You broke the door in before anything happened."

"So I can…"

"Just go kiss him already…"

But Finn had beaten her to it. He grabbed her hands and pulled her to him and kissed her. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him back. Jess was standing there staring at the ground when she felt someone hug her from behind. She turned her head to see Dillard and she smiled.

"So you kissed Finn, huh?"

"Not exactly…" She turned around in his grip. "I _almost_ kissed Finn."

"Okay…I still love you."

"Wait, so if I _had_ kissed Finn, you wouldn't love me?"

"Of course I would. But it'd be the tiniest bit less. The tiniest bit. Like, barely even noticeable."

Jess shrugged and smiled. "I love you too." She kissed him, and he kissed her back.

"Dad, are you okay? Did anything happen to any of you?" Wanda asked Wayne as he approached her.

Wayne shook his head and smiled. "And bless us all. I have a feeling we just got lucky because we're underground. I'm worried our two parties above us weren't so lucky."

"Hello?" A voice called from down the hallway.

"Is anyone down here?" Came a second voice.

"Hey," Finn said, "that sounds like—"

"Megara and Hercules."

"Oh good, we found you." Hercules said walking into the room. "Meg, in here."

"Is there something wrong?" Wanda asked the Greek heroes.

"Not for us," Meg smirked, "but as for the Overtakers?"

"They've lost a member." Herc said.

"What?" Jess stood up straight. "Who?"

"Facilier."

"How?" Finn asked. "I mean, what happened."

"One of your fellow team members, the blond one…" Meg trailed thinking of a name.

"Charlene." Amanda said.

"Ah," she snapped, "yes, Charlene. She beat the voodoo out of him."

"What?" Finn took a step forward.

"Yeah," Hercules said putting his hands on his hips, "she seemed to have beaten him to death with some old walking stick he had." He scratched the back of his head. "Oh yeah! And she smashed that talisman he had around his neck."

"So the shadows won't be a problem anymore." Wayne said, more to himself than to everyone else.

"What dad?" Wanda asked putting a hand on his shoulder.

"The shadows, they responded to the talisman. And if it's destroyed…"

"Then they have no master." Dillard said.

"And if Facilier is dead…that means that no voodoo can work. So Tia Dalma is powerless." Amanda said smiling.

"The Overtakers are slowly falling apart." Finn said.


	4. Figuring It Out

**_Figuring It Out_**

"So you were fighting Hades, but he was a real person?" Charlene asked. The five of them were sitting in the apartment living room discussing Philby's current state of appearance.

Philby nodded. "I can't explain it but he didn't look like he did in the movie."

"What did he look like then?" Maybeck asked. "What was he wearing?"

"Well, he had blue hair…" Willa said.

"And he was wearing some type of armor. It was all black and most of it was metal. He had a cape and a fire sword…" Philby continued.

Charlene tried to break the thick tension by laughing. When everyone looked at her she said, "What? Don't let Edna Mode hear about this…" When everyone continued to stare she imitated Edna and said, "No capes!"

And everyone laughed.

**…**

Finn threw the large metal door open and was greeted by the cool night air. He gripped Amanda's hand tighter and stepped out of the Utilidor.

"You said they were in the apartment?" Jess asked.

Hercules nodded. "The five of them"

"Have you caught sight of any of our parents?" Finn asked nervously. Amanda squeezed his hand tighter and looked over at him with a reassuring look on her face.

"Actually," Meg said. "I think I saw them heading back to the apartment as well."

**...**

There was a loud bang on the door causing them all to jump.

"Don't open the door." Philby hissed.

"What if it's an OT?" Willa whispered.

"Send Charlene." Maybeck whispered. Everyone's head turned in his direction and he held his hands up. "She's a good fighter. She beat the brains out of Facilier with a wooden stick. What, did you think I meant give her to them?" He waited and they still stared at him. "Oh that's cold." He pulled Charlene to him and hugged her tightly. "Never."

The banging grew louder.

Louder.

Louder.

"WOULD SOMEONE OPEN THE DOOR?!" Came a voice from behind the door.

Philby stood up slowly and stood in front of Willa. "State your name." He called.

"Finn Whitman."

"Friend or foe?"

"Friend you idiot!" Jess yelled from behind the door as well.

"How many people are with you?" He asked. "State their names."

"Seven." Finn said. "Eight counting myself. Amanda, Jess, Dillard, Wayne, Wanda, Hercules, Meg, and myself." Finn answered.

"No sign of the adults?"

"They're keeping watch at the bottom of the stairs."

"Okay, come in." The door opened and in came the eight, walking in one after the other.

Jess walked up to Philby and brought her arm back to punch him, but Willa jumped up and pulled her back. "Jess, calm down." She said softly. "What's wrong?"

"_He_," she pointed to Philby, "made an alliance with an _OT_!"

"What?" Philby said shocked.

"Who?" Charlene said.

"Hades." Amanda said.

"Hades?" Maybeck said.

"But…" Philby trailed off. He was silent for a minute. "Oh my god…"

"What?" Willa said putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I can't believe he took me seriously!" Philby threw his hands up in frustration and walked over to the window where he saw Hades standing on Main Street.

"Is there something you said to him?" Hercules said walking up next to Philby.

"We had an…encounter on our way here."

"And…?" Finn pressed on.

Philby turned around and took a deep breath.

—

_"__So you're mad at her?" Philby said. He was still panting and his entire body hurt. "And jeez man…that thing _hurts_!" He motioned to the sword held in Hades' hand. His body was covered blood, both his own and the Overtaker's standing before him._

_"__Of course I'm mad." Hades responded. "She turned me human. The worst possible thing she could've done."_

_"__But you said her turning you human made you stronger?"_

_"__Oh, it does."_

_"__Then why are you mad at Maleficent?"_

_"__Because she did this to me thinking it would make me weaker. Which is why she sent _me_ to pursue you and trap you."_

_"__She thought we would beat you because you're human? But you're really just stronger?"_

_Hades nodded. "She's trying to get rid of me."_

_"__Do you know that for a fact?"_

_"__Either that or she just wanted to watch me die. She knows I don't stand a chance against you Keepers by myself."_

_"__So what are you saying?"_

_"__I mean…I was just wondering if…" Hades stopped._

_"__What? You want to join us or something? An alliance?" Philby joked with a laugh. "Look Hades, you're a good guy. Well…as good as an OT can be. It would be cool, I admit, to have an alliance with an OT, but what happens when you get changed back? Things will go back to normal for sure."_

_"__What if I don't? What if she chooses for me to stay this way until I'm finally terminated? What if the spell is permanent?"_

_"__Lots of 'what ifs' Hades. Too many." The god looked at the Brit. "I don't know…"_

_"__So it's not a no."_

_"__It's not a yes either."_

_"__But it's not a no."_

_Philby smiled. "Goodbye Hades. You know where you belong." Philby turned around and walked towards Willa and David, who were standing in shock at what they just witnessed._

"You made an alliance with an OT and didn't consult anyone?!" Jess shouted throwing her hands in the air. "What a Maybeck move, Philby!"

"Yeah," Maybeck said, "that was kind of a stupid thing to do." He paused. "_Heyyy_…That's not nice Jess!"

"Philby," Willa said, "was that what you were talking about with him before we got here?"

Philby nodded. "Yeah, but I never said he could be with us! All I said was that he knew where he belonged!"

"Well, right now, at this moment, he might think his place is with us." Finn said. Everyone turned to face him.

"You're not seriously considering this, are you?" Maybeck asked.

"Why not?" Amanda said. "I honestly think it would be a good idea having an OT on our side for once."

"Of course you'd agree with Finn." Jess said.

"I agree with Amanda and Finn on this one guys." Dillard said.

Jess's head snapped in Dillard's direction and she smiled. "You know…now that I think about it…maybe it's _not_ such a bad idea…" Amanda tried to hold her laughter back.

Philby turned to face the group. "How about this…We make an alliance with him," Maybeck tried to cut him off but he continued before he could, "_but_, if any of us suspects anything, we tell everyone, and it's off." Immediately, all eyes were on Finn.

Finn nodded slowly as if agreeing with something unspoken; like he was having a conversation with himself. "I mean, it's either that…or he won't leave us alone I'm guessing?"

"Well, considering he's been standing out on Main Street looking up at this window for the past ten minutes…I'm gonna go with yes." Charlene said.

Willa stepped up next to her and looked out the window again. Aw…he looks like a wounded puppy…"

"Willa," Maybeck said, "we don't sympathize with the enemy."

"Oh come on Maybeck." Charlene said. "Like you don't feel a _little_ sympathy for the guy."

Maybeck shook his head. "None whatsoever."

"Well you obviously don't know what it feels like to be left abandoned and alone." Jess said walking past Maybeck.

"It's not a pleasant feeling at all, if you were wondering." Amanda said trying not to cry.

Finn wrapped his arms around her and hugged her from behind. "You never have to feel that way again. I promise." He kissed the side of her head.

"Am I really the only one against all of this?" Maybeck complained. "Guys _come on_!" He threw his hands up. "This is _screaming_ danger!"

"Since when are _you_ afraid of a little danger?" Charlene crossed her arms and smirked.

"Since it involved teaming up with the god of the underworld!"

"Whoa…dude, chill." Philby said.

Maybeck sat down in a nearby chair and rested his elbows on his knees. "I'm sorry. I'm just paranoid. I don't want to lose Charlene to them again. Or Jess." A heavy silence hung over the group as they thought back to the frightful times when the two girls had been against them.

"Can I just say something about the Overtakers?" Jess said quietly. "They treat each other with respect, they really do." Everyone stayed silent. "Some of them don't even realize that what they're doing is wrong."

"Like the OTKs." Charlene said. "They're under a spell. They see and hear everything but they don't react like they usually would."

Jess nodded. "Exactly. But here's my real point: abuse."

"Abuse?" Amanda asked.

Jess stared straight ahead and clenched her jaw tight. "Abuse."

"Evaluate." Philby said.

"When Maleficent or one of the higher ranked OTs caught someone off task or doing something in a different way than they wanted…they abused them." Tears started forming in her eyes as she continued. "Not all OTs were evil. Only in their movies…but once they started getting penalized for the stupidest things, they got tougher and meaner."

"So what you're saying is that some of the Overtakers are the way they are because they were…abused?" Willa said and Jess nodded. "That's terrible." She covered her mouth with her hands.

Jess pushed the sleeve of her sweatshirt up to her elbow revealing a long cut that ran from her wrist to the top of her forearm. Amanda stood up quickly. "This is what happens when you wonder off to go help someone survive."

"They did this to you?" Finn said standing up as well.

"That day at the car wash back in, what, seventh grade?" She ran her fingers across the scar that was left. "Maleficent thought I had been sneaking off to help you guys plan to overthrow them so…she put a tracker in my arm."

"But you weren't helping us..." Maybeck said.

"At that point in time, you wanted to kill us." Charlene added.

"You're right. I _wasn't _sneaking away to help you all." Jess turned her attention to Amanda. "I was sneaking off every night to make sure they hadn't gotten to Amanda yet."

"So it was you?" Amanda's eyes started tearing up. "The constant feeling of being watched over while I slept was you?" Jess nodded. "But I thought you were fully under their every command?"

"I was…I was…But I knew there was someone missing from my life. Someone important to me. Someone I couldn't lose. You. So every night, I snuck out of the headquarters to go check on Amanda." She started walking towards her sister. "Every night. Even after I was being tracked."

"And you didn't get caught?" Amanda said.

Jess smiled. "Let's just say that I had some friends who watched over the computers and monitored everyone's every move. Like that guy right out there." She pointed to the window.

"Hades?" Philby said.

"Me and him were really close." She smiled.

"You're kidding." Maybeck said.

"Am I?" Jess walked over to the window and opened it.

"Jess what are you doing?" Maybeck said annoyed.

"Hey hot head!" She yelled out the window. "You still want in?!"

Hades quickly looked up to where Jess was and smiled. "You told them, didn't you?" He called to her.

"Everything."

"Then, in that case, yes I still want in!"

Jess turned to face her friends. "Well…?"

Finn sighed. "Fine…but if I suspect anything, he's gone."

**…**

_"__They have made an alliance with him?!"_ Chernabog's voice boomed throughout the underground room.

Maleficent lowered her head in shame. "I'm sorry, my lord."

_"__It was you who turned him human, was it not?!"_

"It was, my lord."

_"__And it was you who sent him out to, as you said, defeat the Kingdom Keepers, was it not?!"_

"It was, my lord."

_"__Then you shall be punished!"_

"Punished?"

_"__Your powers shall be locked and your staff given to me!"_

"I beg your pardon, my lord?"

_"__Did I stutter?! I said give me your staff now or suffer the consequences!"_

"Y-yes, my lord. Of course, my lord." Maleficent held out her hands, presenting her staff.

_"__Now leave."_

Hanging her head in shame, Maleficent slowly turned and walked out the door of the large and spacious room and into her small space she called home.

**Oh my god guys I'm so sorry. Things have just been ****_crazy_**** lately. School started and I'm losing my friends and my depression is getting so much worse and I'm just losing my mind. I promise I'll try to keep up as fast as possible, okay? Since I'm in high school now, I have a laptop that I use during school, I can write on free time during classes and between classes. So I hope you liked this chapter! Love you all!**

**_KingdomKeeper1121_**


	5. The Alliance

**_The Alliance_**

"Jess?" Amanda said walking into her sister's room the next morning.

"Yeah?" She responded not taking her attention away from her journal.

"Everything you said last night…was it true?"

Jess closed her journal and put it on her bed. "Of course it was, Amanda." She stood up and held her arms out.

"So you loved me, and risked your life for me, even when you were working for the enemy?" Amanda said walking up to her sister and hugging her tightly.

"I'm always going to love you _and_ risk my life for you."

"Always?"

"Always. You're my sister. It's what I'm obligated to do."

"You're not _obligated_ to do anything." Amanda said pulling out of the hug.

Jess nodded. "You're right. I'm _not_. But I _want_ to be obligated. So that's what I am. Obligated."

Amanda smiled at her sister. "I love you so much…"

"Really…" Jess said sarcastically, laughing, and crossing her arms. "That's not what you said the first time we met."

Amanda sat down on Jess's bed. "Oh yes," she laughed as Jess sat next to her, "I remember that day _vividly_."

"_'__Get off of me you freak!'_" Jess laughed imitating Amanda.

"_'__Who do you think you are?! _You_ get off of _me_! And watch where you're going next time!'_" Amanda imitated Jess.

"_'__Oh, says the girl who just _fell down the stairs_!'_" The two girls shared a hug and laughed until their stomachs hurt.

"If only we had known…" Amanda said looking Jess in the eyes.

"That one accident was all it took…" Jess said looking Amanda in the eyes.

"To bring us together forever…"

"Forever…" Jess whispered, her eyes watering. "Forever and always…"

Amanda pulled her into a hug and said softly, "I'm glad you fell down the stairs that day…because look where it got us…"

Jess tightened her grip around her sister. "You saved my butt, I saved yours…then you saved mine again…" Jess laughed.

"Well, hey, you're my little sister…I can't let you go unsupervised…" Amanda laughed.

"You're older than me by eleven months…I'm not _that_ much younger…"

"That's very true…and you _are _taller than me, so I guess that gets you some points."

"But I love your shortness…" Jess laughed. "You always curl into a little ball next to me every time we watch movies."

"You like that?"

"Oh yeah, a whole lot."

"Then I'll just do it forever."

"What about when you get married?"

"Just hit me up and I'll come over to your billion dollar house you'll be living in with Dillard." She laughed.

Jess hit Amanda's arm lightly. "Not a _billion_ dollar house, Mandy…" She laughed.

"Then what? _Trillion_ dollar? Because if that's the case, I'll just move right in." Amanda laughed.

"What makes you so sure we'll be able to afford a house of that expense?"

"With your ability to draw and his ability to…do whatever it is he does…" Amanda trailed off waiting for an answer.

"Baseball."

"And his amazingness in the field of baseball, you two could afford to live in the White House for all you know!" Amanda threw her hands in the air and laughed.

"Alright, alright, calm down." Jess laughed.

There was a knock on the door as it opened. "Girls?" Wanda poked her head into the room. "I heard yelling. Is everything okay?"

The two smiled. "We're good, mom." Jess said.

"Perfect." Amanda said.

Wanda stepped into the room and closed the door. "There's something I've always wanted to know…" She said smiling.

"Ask away, dearest mother of mine." Jess laughed.

"How exactly did you two meet?"

Amanda and Jess looked at each other and laughed. "We were actually just talking about that." Amanda laughed.

"Come, sit down, and listen to the tale of how two abnormal girls found normality in each other." Jess said.

**…**

"Did you ever figure out why Maleficent turned him human?" Willa asked Philby.

"He said she did it because she thought it would have made him weaker."

"But why would she do that?"

"She's obviously trying to get rid of him. Willa, what's wrong? You're usually more on your game than this."

Willa shrugged. "I just feel really bad for him…"

Philby looked at her, head to toe. "You're not telling me."

"I feel bad for him!"

"Let me rephrase; you're not telling me _everything_. What's wrong?" She shook her head, as her eyes filled with tears, and covered her face with one hand. Philby's face instantly filled with concern as he rushed to her side. "Willa? Willa what's wrong?"

"I'm sorry…I'm fine. I'm good." Philby grabbed her hand and looked at her; she forced a smile.

"Willa…love…is it…is it about your mom?" She looked down and nodded. "It's okay…I understand. You can cry. You don't have to be strong right now. I'm here." He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly.

"I just don't understand why I still care." She cried hugging him back. "I've been so strong and now…I feel so _weak_."

"You're _not_ weak." Philby responded putting a hand on the back of her neck. "You've been holding together abnormally well for someone in your position."

"Why is it that I always cry when I'm with you?"

Philby dared to laugh a little. "I don't mind it so much. It just gives me another reason to have you as close to me as possible."

A minute of silence passed. "Philby..." She sobbed into his shoulder, hugging him tighter.

"Hey...shh...you're okay. You're gonna be okay, love." Philby moved his hand to the back of her head and pulled away slightly. "Let it all out. You've been so strong." He kissed the side of her head.

"I can't…I've lost _everyone_." She sobbed again.

"No no no…You haven't. You haven't lost Jess; you haven't lost Amanda; you haven't lost Charlene; you haven't lost Dillard…or Finn…or Maybeck…" He paused and kissed her softly. He pulled away slightly so that their foreheads were touching and whispered, "You haven't lost me…"

Willa closed her eyes and whispered, "And I'm not going to lose you, right?"

"You're not losing any of us."

"But I'm not losing _you_, right?"

Philby smiled. "Never."

"Never?"

Philby held her face gently. "Love, I'm not going _anywhere_. I'm forever yours."

"Forever's a pretty big word, Philby…"

He smirked. "Yeah. I know." Willa smiled and grabbed his shirt collar, pulling him closer. He whispered, "That's why I used it." He leaned in the rest of the way and kissed her gently.

**…**

"No, Amanda, stop! You're gonna get me—killed…" Finn sighed.

"Ha!" Amanda exclaimed triumphantly. "That's five games! I win!"

Finn smiled. "What did you say you wanted if you won?"

Amanda smirked moving closer to Finn. "The same thing _you_ wanted if you won…" They laughed. "Now come here…I want my prize."

Finn stood and stepped closer to her. "Your wish," he whispered, "is my command…" He leaned in slowly, as did she, and put a hand on the side of her face, the other resting on her waist. Their eyes closed as their lips met and everything was perfect. Nothing could ruin this moment.

"_Finn, mom needs you down here right now! Jess is here!_"

Finn separated and sighed. "Of course…"

Amanda giggled. "Every moment we have…"

Finn laughed and smiled. "Come on." He grabbed Amanda's hand. "Let's go downstairs before my sister kills me."

"She only said for you to go down there though."

Finn shrugged. "So? Jess is _your_ sister." Amanda didn't say anything. "You're coming." He pulled her out the door and down the stairs.

The two entered the living room and were faced with six faces—seven counting Mrs. Whitman. Finn immediately knew something was wrong. Why would everyone be here?

"I thought…Sarah…had said that _Jess_ was here?"

"She is…and so is everyone else…" Sarah said poking her head into the room.

"But why didn't you just say that they were _all_ here?"

"Because I knew if I said Jess was here, you'd bring Amanda."

"But, Sarah, they're Amanda's friends—Just go."

"But—"

"Leave." She nodded and walked away.

Jess opened her mouth to say something but Maybeck cut her off before she had the chance. "Finn," he said, "Jess had a vision."

Jess reached over Charlene and punched him in the arm. "Idiot, _I _was telling him." Everyone laughed and Jess turned to face Finn. "I had a vision, as you were just told." She glared back at Maybeck.

"What was it about?" Amanda asked sitting down next to Finn.

Jess took a deep breath in. "You." She said to Amanda. "And Maleficent."

"She…had you." Willa said. "You were trapped under a spell much like the one Jess was under when we first met."

"No…" Finn said softly.

"What did you say, Finn?" Philby asked.

"How? More importantly _why_?" He stood up and started pacing around the room. "Why does Maleficent want her? Why does she need her on their side?"

"She's one of the most important assets to the team, Finn." Jess said.

"That's not what I mean. I _know_ she possesses powers they need. My question is why she needs her. They're stronger than ever before."

"And they want to be stronger." Dillard said.

"We can't let them get you." Finn said facing Amanda. "We _won't _let them get you."

"We can't beat the vision, Finn." Jess said softly.

Finn smiled and turned towards Jess. "We've done it once, we can do it again."

"How are we going to attack this?" Charlene said. "We obviously need a plan before we go all in and risk more than just Amanda's life."

Finn thought. "Is everyone okay with staying here for the night?" Everyone nodded. "Okay, go home and get what you need. Philby, don't forget your laptop. Report back here as soon as possible."

"Amanda, I'll go back home and get everything. You stay here with Finn."

"Jess, you really don't have to…"

"Just stay with him. Okay?" Amanda nodded. "You'll be fine, Amanda."

When Jess left, Amanda turned towards Finn. "Amanda? Amanda no. Don't cry…Amanda…come here…just…come here." He whispered hugging her tightly. "I'm not letting them get you. If they want you, they're going to have to go through me first." He kissed the top of her head and closed his eyes.

She hugged him tighter and buried her head in his chest. "I hate being a fairlie." She said, her voice was muffled by Finn's shirt. "I just want a normal life. A normal relationship."

"I, for one, happen to _love_ that you're a fairlie. You're not like any other girl I've ever known. And if our relationship were normal, where would the fun be?" He felt Amanda shrug and laughed. "Mandy, stop beating yourself up over the way you are. We all love you for who you are."

"I just wish I wasn't the target right now, Finn." She whispered pulling out of the hug and sitting on the couch behind them. "You don't seem too worried though…" She said putting her head in her hands.

Finn sat down next to her. "Amanda," he put a hand on her back, "I'm _freaking out_. I'm struggling not to break down and cry right now."

Amanda looked up at him. "What?" She wiped her eyes. "But you don't seem like it…"

"I don't seem like it because I need to be the leader. I can't lose it, because if I do, everyone else will. And that's the _last_ thing we need right now."

Amanda laughed a little. "You have a soft spot for girls."

Finn cracked a smile. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You tell me and Jess everything. I bet Maybeck, Philby, and Dillard don't know _half _of what you've told us."

"Uh, excuse you, but I knew Dillard before I knew you, little girl."

"So? Tell me Dillard knows everything I do."

Finn hesitated. "He does…"

"You're lying." She said immediately.

"Am not." He crossed his arms.

Amanda laughed and hugged him. "I don't care, really…"

"Good…because it's true…You, Jess, Willa, and Charlene _do_ know more than the guys…"

"Ha!" She jumped to her feet. "Told ya so!"

Finn stood up and grabbed Amanda's upper arms, pushing her up against the nearest wall. He leaned in so that their faces were only inches apart. "Now…" He whispered inching closer. "How about we have a little…fun?"

Amanda closed her eyes. "What kind of fun…?" She whispered.

He moved his hands down to her waist and pulled her closer to him. "I was thinking…" He moved closer. "I want…"

Amanda nodded. "Continue…"

"You…" She smiled. "To give me…" She smiled bigger. "A…"

"Come on, Finn…Out with it…" She whispered.

"Rematch!" He pulled away and ran up the stairs laughing.

Amanda opened her eyes and laughed, shaking her head. "Best three-out-of-five!" She yelled running up the stairs.

**So yeah…2,135 words…I hope you liked the Famanda and Wilby moments. Jillard and Charbeck moments to come; don't worry guys. And again, I'm sorry for not updating often. School's kicking mu butt, as is my depression. I'm trying to keep positive for you guys so…yeah…God bless you all. **

**~KingdomKeeper1121~**


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